1988 School Magazine

with you getting your licence to have a say !n the f uture of our nation. So, if in the next f ew years you become the proud owner of a brurnt oranBe early model Gemini sedan, with no hubcaps and a great sound system, consider its symbolism and get excited, brecause you're f inally in the driver's seat, you have.got a f ull tanl< and just around the corner the lights have changed to green. COCD LLJCK AND SAFE DR.|VINC

,{,"e'r}ing up with their perspectives on life. I hope these :r,.ur inipii. you into thimking positively about whatever ;i;u you have chosen to do next year - they certainly still manage to lnsplre me' i:inally, and perhaps most importantly, independence, p,.o\n/ing up and becoming an adult really means ceasing 'ieins a"back-seal driver of the world. and getting your licenie to do the realthing. \,Vhile we are youn8, we are able to be critical of the generation that has its hands on t,re conirol b'oard; as we 8et older, we start to find that almost imperceptibly the control b'oard has moved in f'-ont of us. lf we are to be sa{e drivers in this country, there are some clear road rules which should be o.rserved. For instance, we should read the;'oad signs. By this I mean, we should take an interest in the world around us. Current affairs are important - they affect us all, no matter what our role in life. lf we ignore them, we run ihe serious risk of becoming genuinely ignorant people, narrow and bigotted in our views. The otrder I get, the more scornf ul I f ind myself brecoming of people who are clever and educated in only one small sphere of life. They may make excellent neurosurgeons or market analysists, but as blinkered drivers in the world, they are a real traffic hazard. Secondly, caref ul drivers always travel at a responsibile speed. By this I mean that we shou ld pace ou rselves with the changes that are occurring in the world, not accepting them so quickly that we unconsciously destroy delicate social frameworks, but not being so slow to accept changes that we are left behind. Thirdly, careful drivers always give good indications of their intentions. By this I mean that we should speak up if \/e want change. lf, as young people, we never indicate the sort of direction we would like the tvorld to take, then we cannot complain if its path turns out to be an aimless and dangerous one. Failing to indicate and driving haphazardly are nearly as dangerous as falling asleep at the wheel - you may not wake up until it is too late. So if you see things that concern you (and you can only do this if you have your eyes open in the first place), consider it your right and privilege to make a noise about it. Write to your Member of Parliament, talk about it with your friends, form an action group - but whatever you do, be sure to form a view and indicate it to your fellow travel I ers. Fourthly, and most importantly, good drivers are considerate. Never be tempted in the iourney to your destination to become, as many impatient drivers are, pushy and rude in dealings with others. Life has already been'abundantly good to you all. lf society cannot look to you for compassion for those less fortunate, then it looks in vain. We all, your parents, teachers and f riends, have high hopes for you, but none greater than this - that you grow to become caring and responsible young adulis with a real concern for the rights and well-being of others. \A/ell, there are a few mixed metaphors in there, but you can see that we have come f ull circle - we started with you getting your licence to drive a car, and we finished

THE iAPANESffi GARmEN On lst August 1978 a formal sister-school agreementwas made between Brisbane Cirls' Crammar School and Tsushima Girls' High School in Japan. The two schools pledged to contribute to the mutual understanding and f riendship between the students of both of the schools through exchanges and joint activities. Ten years later on Thursday, August 4th, Mr Hirayama formally presented a beautiful Japanese garden to Brisbane Cirls' Grammar School. As you are aware, Brisbane Cirls' Crammar School will mark the occasion with the award of a gold medallion annually, to the best English student at Tsushima Girls' High School. During our long association, our aims and expectations were not always in complete accord. However, there was always sufficient goodwill and understanding on both sides to overcome any problems that arose. In this brief summary of our ten year bond, it is fitting to pay tribute to the Japanese Cultural Croup, a band of mothers whose organizational and fundraising skills were greatly appreciated by both schools.